Police and animal-control officers are watching an area in Stanhope for rabies after five people and two dogs were attacked along streets near Lake Musconetcong, officials said. Four foxes and a raccoon were destroyed Thursday after they were seen behaving strangely, the police said.Google Maps

STANHOPE — Four foxes and one raccoon have been destroyed by local police officers after a handful of people were attacked this week.

Rabies is a possible cause of the attacks – and officials are watching the area around Lake Musconetcong closely after foxes rushed people walking their dogs and a pair of police officers, officials said.

“Foxes aren’t like that – there has to be something wrong,” said Dale Sloat, the borough’s animal control officer. “If any one of them has rabies, then all of them have rabies.”

The four foxes and a raccoon were destroyed Thursday, after two dogs and a woman were bitten, said Chief Steven Pittigher of the Stanhope police. A total of five people were rushed by animals the day before, added Pittigher.

A sick fox was reported on Spencer Street during daylight on Tuesday – a strange time for a sighting, the chief said. But by the time the police responded, the fox had disappeared, he said.

The next day, a man and his dog were rushed by a fox coming out of the brush on Brooklyn Road, Pittigher said. The dog was bitten by the fox, before it ran off, he added.

On Musconetcong Road about two hours later, a woman walking her dog was attacked by a fox – and both were bitten, he said.

Two brothers were attacked at the other end of Musconetcong Road about an hour later, at 7:30 p.m., the chief said. The fox ripped the pants of one of the brothers, and the other man was bitten on the shoe – but neither are believed to have had puncture wounds from the animal, he added.

Two police officers responding to the area were rushed by the fox – and though one of them drew his weapon and fired two rounds at the fox, it ran off.

The state Division of Fish and Wildlife was consulted on Thursday, and the decision to destroy sick-looking animals in the area was approved, Pittigher. Over the course of the day, police officers destroyed four foxes and a raccoon, he said. The foxes’ brains are currently being tested for rabies, Pittigher said.

The strange, aggressive behavior of the animals could be caused by distemper – a virus which is not transferrable to humans, Sloat said. But every precaution has to be taken.

“I’ve got to watch every mammal in that area,” Sloat said. “We just have to be vigilant.”

Police are currently on the lookout for other suspicious animals. The chief is urging the public to report any suspected animals by calling the station at (973) 347-4533.